A Question.

Everyone’s got one. When did you stop growing? How did your height affect you? Do you actually like being tall?

There are people who are a bit tall. 5’8 say. They’ll go through life as other people do; maybe the occasional person will point out that they’re rather tall, they might sometimes feel a bit taller than their friends, they might be able to see a little better at concerts. It won’t actually affect them though. When you’re very tall, it can affect you emotionally, physically and financially. It becomes a part of your identity; the way you view yourself and the way others view you.

I’ve always been tall, but I certainly haven’t always loved it. A lot of my tall friends are tall as a result of a late growth spurt and spent the first half of their childhood years as little munchkins. But from the second I arrived into the world – at a reasonably diminutive 7lbs 8oz – I was on a non-stop growth spurt until I reached about 20. I was always the tallest person in class or brownies; the only one who didn’t have to “think” about where I should put myself in a height-order line-up.

At the age of 8, I was left particularly devastated when my best friend held a party at the Jungle Gym at Butlins and I was too tall to go in. I remember bending my knees to try and position my head under that stupid little ruler held by the smiley wooden lion cut-out. The two hours I sat outside for with her mum were the longest 2 hours of my life.

At 10 I was taken on the train to Topshop in Oxford Circus by my own Mum and remember feeling appalled that I had to go to a grown-up shopto buy clothes. (I know, it all seems utterly ridiculous now, what with Topshop being the place I’ll probably have my ashes scattered…) I was desperate to still fit into “Tammy Girl” and shop in kids’ sections like my “normal” friends. I’d wear trainers to school discos so that I wasn’t towering over the boys there, and I’d seethe with envy at the high heels my friends were dancing in.

The most bizarre side-effect of tallness was the inappropriate attention I received from much older men. I wish I’d had the confidence to say “You realise I’m 12, right, you filthy hideous pervert?!” but instead I just ignored it and felt horribly embarrassed whenever a man would wolf-whistle at me or leer as he walked past. (Alas, it actually happens a lot less now…)

Also at the age of 12 (gosh, that must have been an action-packed year!), I got into a highly embarrassing argument with an evil bus driver who refused to believe that I was allowed to pay a child fare. It seemed to escape his attention that I was getting on the bus wearing school uniform, along with all my pixie-sized 12-year-old friends, because he looked at me as though I’d killed his nan. After he’d shouted mean-grumpy-man things like “Pull the other one love, I wasn’t born yesterday” and told me I was holding up the queue, I conceded defeat, paid the adult fare and sat down with all the fellow bus-goers staring and me feeling like a criminal. Yes, I know… it might sound like I’m making a big deal out of a teeny incident. But things are a massive big deal when you’re twelve.

As a young teenager, comments from other people cut seriously deep. I’ve been called (as I’m sure all of you have), every nickname under the sun related to height, longness, gigantism… So much so that I nearly cried at an episode on The Inbetweeners recently when everyone called Will’s new tall girlfriend “Empire State Building”. (I know, it sounds like I have some crazy, unresolved issues… but really it just brought back some horrible memories). Every time I visited family I hadn’t seen in a while, I’d dread the onslaught of “Oh-my-god… haven’t you grown” remarks. I couldn’t count on all my fingers and toes the amount of times in a day someone would say “Gosh, you’re tall, aren’t you? How tall are you?” and prayed that my tallness would one day go unnoticed.

Then my mentality started to switch. As a 5’10 15 year-old, I started to realise that my height did bring with it some joyful moments. The sheer terror in the eyes of “Goal Attack” as I put on my “Goal Defence” tabard at Netball away matches. Bouncers not batting an eyelid when I walked through the door of their club. Being high enough to see Westlife at the Smash Hits Poll Winners’ Party.

With these realisations, my confidence slowly began to grow. The negative comments from other people didn’t stop; I just handled them better. Or, at least, I handled them. Aged 19 — and out with my cousin at a Northern Ireland nightclub — I saw a man look at me and shout to his friends “Jesus, look at the size of that”. In response (and perhaps a little inebriated), I grabbed his meat-and-two-veg and shouted “Not much size on that mate”. At which his friends burst into rapturous applause. Aaaah. I’m still proud of that now.

As a 6ft adult – having outgrown my mum, dad, and all the rest of my family — I’ve finally learnt to love my height rather than just live with it. It makes me feel elegant, it earns me an automatic degree of respect, and let’s be honest… life is waaaaay too short. Even if I’m not.

Talking to other gorgeously tall women on All the Tall things has made me realise that there’s a whole massive community of fun, intelligent and stylish ladies who are there waiting to help each other out. And that’s pretty ruddy brilliant.

So there’s my story. I spent half an hour staring at a blank screen thinking about what to write. And then it all came out. I cried twice, laughed a LOT, cut a LOT of other events from it and most of all, I realised how far I’ve blooming come. Your personal tall story might have similarities with mine. Or it could be very different. You might be a lot taller than me and think I’ve had it pretty easy. And reading it back, I’m sure it sounds more than a little indulgent. Perhaps a bit insensitive considering that there are much bigger problems in the world. But I think you’ll probably agree that being tall has definitely shaped the person you are today.

So anyway, that’s my story. And what’s yours?

L xx

P.S. Coming soon to All the Tall things there’s going to be a week dedicated to YOU lovely lot. If you’ve got a story you’d like to tell… about shopping/ life/ love and how it affects tall women, then jot some ideas down and send an email to laura@allthetallthings.com

88 Responses to A Question.

Love this post and I have total, 100% empathy. I do actually think that dealing with all the negative comments has helped me become the person I am today. I’m much more tolerant of differences in other people and I think I’m a stronger person because of the bullying I’ve experienced. (I went through a LOT of shit at school for reaching 6’2 at 12). I too had problems with grumpy bus drivers and train inspectors – did you have to get an U-16 ID card?

I am 5′ 8″ and I was always the tallest in my class – I went to an all-girls school. I also had years of unwanted attention from creepy middle-aged men calling me a ‘grand big girl’ and one of my music teachers at school said that if I grew any more he’d have to put scaffolding on my music stand. I spent years wearing trousers with legs too short and tops with sleeves too short. Even though I was not unusually tall I was still the target of endless comments. My husband is 6′ 1″ and my son is 6’2″ so I now feel small! I love the meat and two veg story!

@ Sara: Yes… the ID card solved me a lot of problems after that. Although they STILL got funny about it! One bus driver laughed when I said “Child fare please” so I showed him my I.D card, to which he replied “Why didn’t you show that in the first bloody place?” You can’t win!
@ Eleanor: I went to an all-girls’ school too. In some ways I think that lessened the torment (boys can be sooo mean). But you’re right about teachers being insensitive too… don’t they teach them about these things at Teacher school?! xx

I have to confess that I really don’t like my height. I’m 5’11” and a size 16 and there is no denying that I am big. And boy, don’t people like to point it out to me, loudly and rudely!

I find clothes shopping really difficult – I can’t stand wearing trousers or short skirts, and long skirts aren’t easy to come by. LTS make lovely ones, but at 41 inches long they’re usually too short and flap above my ankles.

On the plus side, when the hippie skirts come out they’re usually 44 inches long, and no-one looks better in that kind of skirt than a tall woman! 😀

I’ve met a lot of women who feel like you (I think we’ve all felt that way at one time or another). Have you read my blog post “Long Tall and Curvy”? http://allthetallthings.com/?p=1379
I do think there’s a real lack of style advice in magazines for women who are tall and curvy… every piece of advice is about being “Hourglass”, “Petite” or “Tall and slim”… yet I know a lot of people who are gorgeously tall with beautiful curves and end up feeling “big” because they don’t feel like they have anyone to relate to. Slowly there are more retailers who are meeting their fashion needs.

I too have problems with finding maxi skirts that are long enough… you’re right… even some of the tall ranges define “maxi” as something that flaps around the ankles… when all tall women I know want floor-sweepers!

I’ll try to find a few more good maxis for the “Tried It On” features.

Hi Laura,
I liked your blog on here ages ago and just saw this pop up on my Facebook feed! I don’t know if you remember but you modelled for us at the Helly Hansen fashion press week. I absolutely adore this post from you. I have recently been getting uber depressed about my height, being 6ft like yourself wearing heels is just an absolute nightmare for me. Do you wear heels when you go out? When I go out I just feel rediculous, maybe because all of my friends are short and I just look insanely tall next to them – who knows! But I still hate it. I am, unlike you, yet to love and admire my height! Keep posting. Polly X

Of course I remember you! And I’m so glad that you’re reading the blog!
I find it so sad that you’re getting all depressed about being tall, because I can remember how ridiculously gorgeous you actually are (I also remember seeing that beautiful pic of you at a recent shoot).

YES to wearing heels when you go out. Heels make your legs look incredible, encourage you to walk correctly, and give you an air of confidence and authority. If I’m with my man (who’s around 6’3-6’4) I wear absolute sky-scraper heels, and manage to tower over even him (he doesn’t care in the slightest, thankfully). I think Sophie Dahl is a great role model for tall women, she’s still prepared to wear heels next to wee Jamie Cullum.
With my friends, it totally depends on my mood (and the friends!). Sometimes I’ll wear super high heels, other times I’ll wear 2 inch boots or courts. Weirdly, I actually find that I get less comments about my height when I’m wearing heels than when I’m in ballet pumps (maybe people assume that I’m tall BECAUSE of the heels?!) If people see a tall girl stooping in the corner with flats… or another one raving it up on the dancefloor with high-heels… I think I know which one they’d rather be hanging out with!

Just remember that every girl has SOMETHING she doesn’t like about herself, and focus on the good things about you (gorgeous hair, beautiful face, lovely kind personality!), and the things that people will actually be jealous of (I bet you’d be surprised to know that your height will be one of them).

Yeah, I can relate, Laura. And I have to say that being tall is definitely something that has shaped my personality. I didn’t really view myself as very feminine because I never got much attention from boys and hence just learned to accept that I must not be that attractive. No big deal, I just developed a sense of humour. Also, my teenage rebellion was more against my height and people’s reaction to it, than against my parents. When I was between the ages of 16 and 18 I would wear the tallest platform shoes I could find for my big feet and sew my own pants to make sure they were the correct length. Well, if I would wear pants at all. I wore a lot of miniskirts that would barely cover my behind. How I escaped being objectified is still a mystery to me.

But things have mellowed out a LOT. I am at peace with my height (unless I have to have an uncomfortable airplane seat for long flights) and actually enjoy it most of the time. I have a nice collection of quick comebacks when someone rudely points out my height and I no longer let these sayings get to me. Besides, now I get a lot of comments about modeling. Yeah, right, like models start at the age of 32 and with a lingering baby weight… Where were they when I was 16 and skinny and could have used a compliment every now and then?! 😀

Now I just have to try and instill pride about being tall into my daughter. She is 7 months old and looks like a 1-year-old. People’s reactions are already rivalling the ones they have had about me… But… I am infinitely grateful to my 5ft 4in mother, who always told me to walk straight. I have gotten most of my compliments for that. For not being afraid of my height and wearing it proudly. Now if I only had not been that interested in art and instead a bit more into sports, the height would have come in handy too. 😀

Hi Laura,
As you know I’m an avid reader of the blog – but this post ranks amongst my favourites. I was tall from an early age and also had to stop shopping in Tammy Girl before I hit my teens. However, being from the north of England where there is distinctly less diversity (shopping-wise) made for fairly slim retail pickings and usually ended up in me wearing trousers/jeans in the style of the cast of ‘Grease’ (think John Travolta/Kinicky!)

Thankfully that period of my life didn’t last too long ad the shops have massively improved… but I always felt self conscious of my height and whilst I’ve never had any nasty comments, it is something a lot of people felt the need to remark on – these days I welcome the compliment, but growing up ‘aren’t you tall?’ was the question I disliked the most. So much so that it actually had an effect on my physical development – as over my teenage years I developed a bit of a stoop, which I’m currently trying to fix with physio to ward off what it would appear is the making of a hunchback (and I’m only 25!!)

I’m so glad this blog exists to encourage girls to be proud of their height. I wish I had learned to take pride in it much sooner. Keep up the good work 🙂

Sara x

p.s. I happen to work in telly land and recently met Simon Bird (who plays Will) and can confirm he’s very charming and nothing like his character – although I won’t deny I did feel like I’d stepped into that actresses shoes as I was walking down the corridor next to him – as, like most actors, he’s a bit shorter than you’d expect in person.

Hej Laura
I did not know what a meat-and-two-veg was, so I was very happy I wasn’t drinking anything when I looked it up because I laughed so hard it would have sprayed on my laptop:-)

I’ve been the tallest in my immediate family since I eleven. Everyone is of average height. Dad is 5’10, my older brother is 5’9 and my mom is 5’7. No one in the extended family has much height. A couple of my uncles are about 6’0, but I’m the only one who is taller. There are a lot of switched at birth jokes, but we all look alike.

My parents and pediatrician suspected something was wrong, so I had a lot of medical tests when I was growing. Since I lived in such a small town that meant a long drive into the University in Calgary a few times a month for what seemed to be forever. One of the doctors even recommended treatments to stunt my growth because he thought that would be debilitating for a girl. Fortunately my parents didn’t do that! I’ve read about those treatments since and they have caused terrible problems.

I was very shy and didn’t really have friends other than my brother and dog in school. My grade had maybe about 150 kids in it and I was almost always the tallest one, boy or girl. In the 11th grade a boy moved in who was my height, but they moved after a year. Plus he wasn’t interested in me.

I was 6′ before I was 13 and had the problem you mention with older men. In fact it was worse because that is when I first heard the word “transvestite” and a few of its nasty variations. Our family is very thin and I’m no exception, so I grew my hair out to try and deal with that.

The advantage of a small town, plus the disadvantage, is you know everyone. I was called some names, but that got old and most people just ignored me and me them. The girl’s gym teacher wanted me to play volleyball and basketball, but I always resisted and ended up hating gym even though I’m a pretty good runner and run a lot as an adult. I have another friend who is taller than me who was a very good athlete and I think that made her teenage years much easier.

Mom would take me into Calgary a few times a year to the Tall Girl shop. I absolutely dreaded those trips. The clothing was not appropriate for a teen, didn’t fit thin frames like mine well and was expensive. The only good thing is I would meet some other tall women and teens, but usually they were shorter than me and I felt like a freak. One of the girls I met was a few years older – she was 17 and I was 14 at the time. We were both about the same height, but she had feet that were too large to find anything in the shops. She was very upset because she had to go to a cross dressing shop in Calgary to find shoes that fit. It was that or men’s shoes. That really scared me. Now, of course, we have the Internet and have a better selection, but it was hard to find speciality shops then.

One of my aunts was good at sewing and would modify clothing for me. Again it was too dated and to her tastes and it made me feel so out of place. I would go into the stores in Medicine Hat (the nearest city) with some other teens and end up looking at handbags and jewelry while they all tried dresses on. I think this is a big learning time when women start to figure out fashion and makeup with a lot of mistakes along the way. I got good at understanding what would look good on some of them, but not myself.

I never dated in high school. Mostly I think it was me being too shy and the boys having other options. My first date was at age 20 when I started liking myself more. I was then on my own in a big city and had some friends who basically didn’t care if I was tall or not. I didn’t feel at all out of place most of the time and it was a great period for me. Finding clothing was still tricky and there were still the comments and looks on the street, but that didn’t matter as much.

It was about then that I had a physical and they measured my height rather than taking my word for it – I thought I was 6’2. I ever started using that in my email addresses. I came out at 6’3, which surprised me a lot. I probably made that jump when I was 16 or 17, but no one ever measured as we figured I had finished growing.

We all have our great lines for dealing with people and those that we have in the back of our mind that we don’t use. I try to be as positive as possible complementing someone hair, eyes or dress. I figure most people don’t see many tall women and have no idea what to say. So they say whatever comes to mind and there are only a few possibilities. I actually love it when someone comes up with something I’ve never heard, but that is very rare.

Mostly I try to be funny or I try to give them a complement. A friend who is very tall likes to give people high fives to bring smiles to them and herself and defuse the situation. It works very well.

When I date I really don’t worry about the guy’s height that much. The things I like in a guy are pretty rare and if I demand he is taller as the first condition I may never meet anyone I can get along with. So as long as they’re ok with it, it doesn’t bother me unless they are uncomfortably short – anything less than an head shorter is probably too much for me.

I’ve noticed that with heels too, but I don’t wear anything dramatic as it is uncomfortable. It is funny how people always scan you to see if you are wearing tall shoes.

Children seem to be taken with my height as they aren’t used to people taller than their dads. That is one of the big rewards for me. I like climbing trees a lot and have very long hair and somewhat pointy ears. I was coming down out of a tree last Summer and a little girl pulled on her mommies’ skirt and said “look mom – an elf!” It was probably the best complement I’ve ever had:-)

Fortunately I have good posture and am not terribly uncomfortable around shorter people. Maybe some of that came from growing up in a shorter family and seeing that as normal. These days, I’m 27 now, I don’t think of myself as tall that much unless someone makes a comment or I’m trying to get into a tight seat or something like that. I’ll see a woman about my height or even a bit less and think “damn that woman is tall!”:-)

It does bother me that so many tall women see it as a negative thing and many normal sized people assume it is a negative. I’m very happy now and would trade it for anything. It makes me unique and makes people remember me. Of course I have to follow through on that first impression, but so many people aren’t memorable. And if you think it is a big barrier remember the reason why there are walls is to test how much you want something.

You have an awesome attitude! I also discovered that growing up around short people actually made me less aware of my height in an odd way. I had not met a woman taller than I am until I was well into my twenties. 🙂

I am enjoying reading this blog and just want to say to all you young ones please be proud of your height! I am 5.10 and my daughter is 6.1 my granddaughters will be tall too and we are all graceful and distainful of small people who are rude!!

I am so glad it’s not just me who gets comments, stares, wolf-whistles and horn-honks from creepy old men and lorry drivers. I have been since I was about 13 and I’m just like – seriously – you’re like 50, I’m 17 and you probably have a wife and kids. I work as a waitress too so I always get comments about my height. it makes me laugh, though, when people are like, wow, you’re tall are’t you! I’m like, no, really? I hadn’t noticed. I’m lucky in that I don’t get that many insults, mostly just jokey-ish comments about being a giant. I always used to hate being the tallest girl – in my year 11 year photo I was the only girl on the back row – awkward. I’m starting to get used to it now, but I do find the attention from old men quite disconcerting – and no boys my own age are interested which is sad. I wish I had been good at netball but I’m so unco-ordinated and clumsy sports are actually physically impossible. Reading All The Tall Things has made me realise that there’s nothing wrong with being tall – I’m 5’11 – and that it is something to embrace – I’m definitely getting there 🙂

If your piccies on Tried It On are anything to go by… then the boys will be intimidated rather than disinterested! You are absolutely blooming gorgeous Lauren… It just takes boys a little longer to catch up in the maturity stakes (I’m sure you know that)… but when the right one comes along, and you just seem to “click”, everything else will make so much blooming sense that a little thing like height won’t even be a factor.

I also get a lot of “jokey” comments… they really used to upset me and I started to wonder whether I just needed to get a sense of humour. But I think that even the “jokes” get wearing when you hear them over and over again. People who don’t really know you can be super insensitive. But your real friends become aware of this over time… and they’re the ones that really matter.
xx

THANK YOU. I’m 6’0 and at 27 you’d think I would be used to the snide comments from passing strangers, but a lunchtime encounter today has left me feeling a bit rubbish. Then I read this, and you have all picked me up again.

I’ve always been tall, but it never really occurred to me until high school, and suddenly BOYS. Oh, boy. I was a foot taller than everyone else, I wore horrendous ugly flat shoes, just-too-short trousers, and spent all of my teenage years slouched over trying not to feel so desperately awkward. I hit my head on the roof of the bus, I couldn’t fit behind desks. Shopping trips reduced me to tears over my mothers frustration that nothing fitted me, as it if was somehow my fault. Strangers felt compelled to comment on my physical appearance, and I was sorely lacking the confidence to look them in the eye and ask if they’d do the same if I was hugely overweight, or had a big nose or red hair. I’m tall, not deaf, YOU KNOB.

It took me a long, long time to accept myself, and now I know that I am who I am. I’ll always stand out, so I accept it and embrace it. I don’t wear huge heels, but I know how to dress to flatter my height, and thank god some shops have woken up to our existence! After many years of persevering with boys who didn’t know better, I have found a lovely man, an actual MAN, who has showed me how to hold my head high. But I do confess to worrying over what will happen if we have children- I cannot imagine seeing my own daughter go through the same experiences. My boyfriend is 6’4- does tall + tall always = even taller?

Anyway, that’s my story. Thank you all for your inspiration- I can’t tell you how good it is to know there are more of us out there.

People are very strange and I, as Emma said, always find it amazing how people are more than happy to say “God aren’t you tall & skinny”, “how tall are you “, did your parents put you in a grow bag”, oh my how I laughed…… I always thought to myself, but never had the courage to say, would you say to someone “God aren’t you short & fat” or “how fat are you??”. No of course they wouldn’t, it really baffles me that they find it acceptable to say it to tall people?!?

I think we’ve all been through similar situations when growing up, the name calling and yes pervy men!! Girls are much luckier today, clothes make such a difference to how you feel and with the availability of taller ranges I think they’re much more confident. There’s nothing worse than being in ill-fitting clothes and I think it actually makes you look taller.

Sometimes I wish I were a little shorter, there are sooo many amazing heels out there that I’m just not comfortable with wearing but really wish I could. Years ago it didn’t really bother me and I was quite happy to add a further 4″ to my 6ft height, but since wearing ballets I feel absolutley massive with even 2″ heels. I do try not to make my height an issue as I have a daughter who is 8 ( going on 18) and not thats she’s seems tall at this stage but chances are she’s going to be, and I really don’t want her to struggle through school etc, it’s so lovely when she says “Mum I can’t wait to be tall like you” :))

Ladies! So nice to know I’m not alone! I’m 6″1 on a short day and have struggled with being called a man, a mammoth and my personal favorite “huge bitch” and all kinds of other painful “nick names” like you beautiful people I am baffled to how some people can be so oblivious to how hurtful they’re comments are. And I find it hilarious that we’ve all been hit on by per y old men. CREEPERS. I’m not going to lie and say that I love my height because it makes me who I am, because that’s a lie I would be just as loud and adventure seeking as I am know if I was a comfortable 5″6 or so but this is the hand I was dealt so I shall play it as best I know how – by playing state level Netball and serving in the Australian defense force, it’s my 18th birthday in a weeks time and bugger it! I shall wear the biggest shoes and shortest dress I can find and by god I will have a fantastic night! This blog has made me feel like I’m not alone and that waiting to meet a hunky 6″4 man might actually happen, I’m so sick of short guys trying to pull, I’m not sure about you guys but I can’t date shorter men – I already feel big and inspite of myself I do feel masculine or manly alot of the time so by Christ when it comes to lads I WILL be the small spoon xx

– people listen to what you say and have more respect for your opinion than is generally given to small/average women
– you are more likely to be well-paid and successful
– there is no need to wear heels (and suffer the consequent pain) unless you want to (I have a 5’2″ friend who wears 3″ heels every day to work, because she feels she lacks gravitas, and people do not take her seriously)
– you can have standing-up sex with a man of a similar height to yourself much more easily (I have confirmed this with a 5’3″ friend) :o)

I love being tall. Always have and always will (although I am only 5’10”, so not super tall like some of you ladies). I have had virtually nothing but envious and complimentary comments from my friends. I also love being bigger than my female friends, I like wrapping them up in a hug and feeling protective. I am smaller than a few of my male friends, and about an inch smaller than my husband (although I wore heels on our wedding day!)

The only downsides for me are:

– lack of shoe choice
– being with short female friends in loud places, and having to bend down [or talk to the men, which is usually what I do]
– occasionally being mistake for a man (yes, it’s happened more than once – see below).

Here’s a hilarious and true thing that happened to me:

A man standing beside me at the counter in a garage said “What are you?”
“What?” said I, “what do you mean?”
“Are you a man or a woman? Or are you one of them trannies?” he said, apparently without malice or irony.
“I am a woman,” I reassured him.

I have also been asked if I was a transvestite. 😀 And the best part was that it was when I was dressed to the nines in a mini skirt and with a lovely smoky eye. Granted, he was pretty darn drunk, so when he asked: “You are actually a man, aren’t you?” I just replied in a reaaaaally low and husky voice: “Yes, but let’s keep it between us.”

How fabulous is this blog?! I am 29 and 5’11 and can totally relate. I have had many, many stares and rude comments in my life and very few tall friends to commiserate with about it. How wonderful to have found your blog just as I’m set to turn 30! Currently, I can relate most to Julie right now because I’m on the curvy side. I have also had many a cruel word flung in my direction or off the cuff remarks made about my “size”. In high school, although slimmer, I was put on the basketball team (yes, put>/i>) and was horrible at it. The coach was terribly insulting and on many occasions referred to me as “big girl” as in, “Hey you, big girl, come here” rather than my name like the other girls on the team. I had horrible self confidence issues and never had a date in high school. Most of the taller boys wanted to go with short, petite girls and all the short guys were too frightened or intimidated of me to ask. I am so scared for someone to mistake me as a man and have wondered how many have thought that and just haven’t had the “veg” to ask. I didn’t realize until I read the other stories how much my height affects me in negative ways even to this day. I’m currently going through a really rough patch in my marriage and there’s a good chance it wont work out. The idea of being single again is absolutely terrifying! I’m so grateful to have found your blog and sincerely hope this will help me on the road to loving myself (& my height) all the more. xxx

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Loved reading your story. I’ve been 6 feet since I was 12 but haven’t grown any since, although I have incredibly small size 5 -6 feet. What was humbling the most was your bus story where you were made to pay adult fares in your school uniform going to school, I ended up haing to carry my passport & eventually letters from the school to prove I could travel at a chld fare. Now as an adult these are memories I rarely think about except hope my 4 year old daughter doesn’t have to go throw the same but considering she is wearing age 7 trousers so the legs are long enough I suspect she will have these delights to come.
It is funny though, my mum is a tiny 4’11” & she faces a whole different set of challenges. I don’t think I’d like to be classed as ‘normal’ though x

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Thanks for sharing your story. As I was reading, it brought tears to my eyes and made me chuckle. Being 6′ 1″ (well actually, 6′ 3/4″ but when you are THAT tall, mine as well round up), I really appreciate this blog. I love my height and I love fashion. At 30, I’m excited to delve into the world of clothes made for my long legginess and I think your blog will help me on my journey! I just ordered a leather jacket from Dorothy Perkins (fingers crossed).

This is just so brilliant, I’ve gone my whole life feeling like I’m the only person that has these problems, now I’ve found your blog I feel so much better! Completely understand the trauma of your bus story, and the envy of friends who can wear heels, and all the comments from people who think they’re so funny / the first person to make that cliché joke… I’m now 21 and almost 6’2″, and just like you I’ve been on a constant growth spurt since birth so was always the tallest in the class (/ school) and always had the ‘wow you’ve grown again!’ comments EVERY TIME I haven’t seen someone for a while… And clothes have always been a nightmare for me – absolutely all trousers / jackets / jumpers / cardigans / coats etc HAVE to come from specialised places like LTS or they’re just not wearable, not to mention shoes (I’m a UK size 10-11), so finding new places to buy clothes for tall ladies is always a priority!! I still have a lot of trouble with feeling self conscious about being so much taller than all my girl friends (and most of my guy friends) but I’m gradually learning to accept it – I’m never going to change the way I am, so I may as well enjoy it! At least concerts (which I love going to) are improved hugely by super height, and I know it has shaped me as a person in a way I don’t regret, and being tall is absolutely part of my identity, so however much I complain I don’t think I would really change it if I had the choice. I just wish shoes weren’t so expensive!! 🙂

I am 5ft11.5 and 29 and there is not a day that goes by I don’t think about it. I mean whether you 8 inches below or above the average height you are going to at times feel out of place. I did hope that as I approached 30 it would become less of an issue but unfortunately it hasn’t. Thankfully as you’ve all mentioned acquiring clothes is a lot easier these days so in that way it is less noticeable.

My mum is 5ft7 and my dad 5ft7 so outgrowing them both at age 11 was extremely difficult. I have no siblings (and in a way Im glad as if I had a sister shorter then me I would have been sick with jealously)

I would love to be positive about being so tall but I would much rather rock whatever shoes I want without feeling out of place.

Also, having your insecurity pointed out on a regular basis, often by well-meaning people – is well, excruciating.

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Hey Leggy Lovely!

I'm Laura Schofield, a 6 foot tall, size 9 shoe wearing mama of 2. I started All the Tall things in 2010 as a resource for tall women to find clothes and shoes that fitted correctly, but it has evolved into a blog and community that examines every aspect of the Tall experience, including travel, dating and more emotive subjects such as discrimination and mental health. I've been on a bit of a "maternity leave" over the last couple of years, so I'm currently working hard to bring it back into 2019. Thanks for sticking with me and watch this space for more updates.